3 Tips for Retailers Promoting a New Product via Email

You’ve worked hard to create or find a great product, and now it’s time for your customers to reap the benefits. But because you’re unveiling something new and possibly unfamiliar, it’s important to keep messaging clear, concise and helpful.

Any announcement email should tell the customer three things: What the new product is, what it can do for the consumer, and what action should be taken next. That’s a good deal of information to get across in just one message, but it can be done efficiently with the right copy and design. We put together three tips below to help you make sure your email is straightforward and, most importantly, effective.

1. Make your excitement contagious

If you’re rolling out a new product, it’s likely something your customers have requested or something you think they will benefit from. Don’t be afraid to let your enthusiasm about the product shine through! Adding personality never hurts, as long as it is consistent with your brand voice. When you’re crafting the copy, start by writing as if you were describing the product in person, and then work from there.

Look at the example below from Peak. Phrases like “We’ve been working,” “We’re excited to share it with the world,” and “we think you’re going to love it,” make it clear they are passionate about their product and can’t wait to share it with you. The example also makes clear the value that this product will bring to users, and because Peak also asks for feedback, the email feels more personable and genuine.

When you’re excited, it’s likely that customers will be too. Read your copy out loud to make sure it sounds like something you would say. And always keep it authentic.

2. Describe the new product and its value

Details are important, but they can also be boring. For a new product email, you want to provide just enough information so that a user is intrigued and understands what you’re offering. You don’t want to overwhelm them with so much information that they abandon the email without taking action. A good rule of thumb is to write the sentence you want to write, and then cut it in half.

When it comes to copywriting, it’s been shown that users absorb the first three and the last three words of a headline. Follow similar parameters here. Treat each point in your email as if it’s a headline, and try to convey the most important information in about 6-10 words. In the About.me example below, you’ll see that each product point has a short description that’s no more than ten words long.

3. Pick a CTA and stick with it

There’s so much information in a product announcement that it can be tempting to offer your reader multiple options for where to go next. “See the product in action,” “learn more about these features,” and “sign up,” could all be realistic calls to action, but it’s important to keep your email focused. Offer the reader a clear path forward.

If you want them to learn more, send them to an in-depth page with greater details. Make sure that page has a clear next step too. If you want to get readers straight to the sign-up, tell them the most pertinent information up front and prompt them to sign up. Then offer more resources after they’ve made an account.

When you have multiple CTAs in a single email, it can feel inconsistent, and customers can get distracted. The result may be that they don’t take any action at all.

The above email from About.me gets straight to the point with a prominent “View Your Stats” button after a few lines of introduction. Then, after they provide more details about what will be available on the new page, they repeat the same CTA. It provides consistency and offers a direct path forward for people who want to click immediately, and for those who desire to learn more before clicking.

No matter what your product email is announcing, it’s important to keep the messaging clear and help your customers understand what the new product can do for them. By providing a sense of urgency and excitement, they’ll be ready to click and learn more.